Devil's Dealings
by kalahae
Summary: The demon realm has its own strict regulations, but Sebastian has never been one to follow the rules. AU.


note: I am very excited to be bringing this story back. I have many, many plans in store for this; and I expect this to be the longest fanfic I write/publish. There are only subtle differences between this new version and the previous version I'd posted, but I don't think it is all too noticeable. So, old readers: welcome back and I hope you guys are excited as I am for this story. New readers: welcome aboard ;)

* * *

Stiletto heels clicked over a rooftop. The air was still, night sky concealed by a veil of clouds. The demon's eyes glowed red in the dark, strikingly white fangs visible beneath his curled lip. Folding his impressive onyx wings against his back, he crouched behind a chimney, focusing on the window of a house directly in front of where he hid.

The boy he was watching was leaning over his desk—this seemed to be the way he spent most of his nights—meticulously writing notes and flipping through pages of thick school books. Eventually, the dark-haired boy would glance at the clock, notice the time, and hurriedly stuff his books into his bag, then stretch. This time, however, his round, sapphire eyes flickered towards the window and the spying demon ducked, unsure if he had been spotted.

"You've been stalking your prey for quite a while now," a female voice chirped from beside the male demon. "Usually you get it done much quicker than this, Sebastian."

Sebastian let out a sort of exasperated sigh upon hearing the woman's voice. Straightening his posture, he said, "I've no interest in his soul. Not yet."

"Is that so?" the female snorted, cocking an eyebrow, her auburn hair falling over her shoulder in glorious waves, stopping just shy of her hips. Her arms folded over her breasts in pure arrogance, wings extended behind her most obviously, as if she did not care if a human would take notice of her. "What do you want from him, then?"

"Forgive me for my bluntness, but this is no matter of yours," Sebastian said dryly, standing up as he made his way off the rooftop, long black hair drifting in the breeze. "So long, Sienna."

Sienna huffed, not accustomed to being disregarded. Looking towards the child in the bedroom, she wondered what he had that could retain Sebastian's attention for such a lengthy period of time. If it wasn't his soul the demon was after, then what? Surely he wasn't planning on making the boy his human toy or something—that simply wasn't in Sebastian's character. Sienna gave up speculating and decided she'd have to play with Sebastian some other time, leaping off the rooftop and disappearing into the night.

The following morning, Ciel rose out of bed, stretching his arms and stifling a yawn. He'd long given up his daily countdown until graduation; it only made time pass by that much slower. Banishing negative thoughts from his mind, Ciel strode to the bathroom and turned on the hot water, letting it run as he stripped himself of his striped pajamas. Once free of the clothing, he stepped into the shower and washed himself in less than ten minutes.

Getting his morning routine out of the way, Ciel squeezed into his uniform pants and buttoned up his shirt, chewing a mouthful of toast. Careful not to spill any crumbs on his shirt, he finished eating as he tied a messy knot on his blue tie. After brushing his teeth, he threw on the school sweater over his head and adjusted it to fit snugly over his torso. On the way out of the door, he slung his backpack's strap over his shoulder and locked up behind him.

Ciel glanced at his watch, glad he wasn't running late. He had ten minutes to get to the train station, but he could make it in eight minutes if he walked fast. After a very cramped train ride, he bolted out of the doors and jogged out of the station as he waited for the cars to stop at the red light. He crossed the street, walking a few more blocks until he'd reached the gates of the catholic school.

His cheeks were red and he was out of breath; he grudgingly wished he had his own vehicle.

In the first half of the day, Ciel's classes were challenging and boring. He had AP Physics, Advanced Calculus, World History, and Trigonometry. He fought sleep in almost all of them, urging himself to pay attention. To manage not passing out from boredom, he scribbled notes in his journal and kicked his foot under his desk to remain active. After the lunch period, the rest of his classes were fairly easy. Theoretic Art, Religion, and Music. He _loathed _having to read about the origins of art and flip through the thick textbooks, but he had the drawing abilities of a toddler, and the creativity of a stick, so he had to settle for theory. He wasn't religious by nature, but his entire family was catholic and had graduated from this school, so Ciel had no other choice but to attend.

Now, Ciel sat in his music class, cringing as his teacher shouted at him for messing up such easy instructions in such a grand way. Over the past month, the teacher had transitioned Ciel from the violin to the piano to the drums and finally to the triangle. The instrument itself wasn't complex; Ciel merely could not remember his cue.

At three o'clock, the dismissal bell rang and Ciel could not have loved any other sound more. Enduring another train ride pressed up uncomfortably against total strangers, he made it to his little house at the end of his block at three thirty and submitted himself to an afternoon of studying and completing the homework his teachers shamelessly piled on day after day.

At six o'clock, Ciel put his books into his bag, stretching his sore back, and then his stomach rumbled. The boy hopped up on his feet, walking to the kitchen and flinging open the refrigerator door. He hummed, finding it empty save for a carton of milk in the process of spoiling, and a near empty carton of eggs. Not particularly fond of the idea of starving for the night, Ciel dug out some loose change from his wallet and headed out.

Luckily, the grocery store was a block away fromwhere he lived, so there wouldn't be a need to take the train. He wouldn't get much, he figured, just a carton of milk, eggs, and bread.

It was chilly, the harsh December wind stinging Ciel's eyes and cheeks. He blew his breath into his hands; the gloves he'd grabbed on his way out hadn't done much justice. He walked through the grocery store quickly, not wanting to waste too much time. He thanked the cashier and stuck the leftover change in his pocket, taking a glance at his watch.

Due to his momentary distraction, Ciel hadn't noticed the man in front of him. He ran straight into him, face bumping against the man's lower chest.

Ciel staggered, looking up apologetically. "S-Sorry," he mumbled.

The man stared down at Ciel for a moment, his dark eyes ranging from a deep brown to a crimson red. The bangs framing the sides of his face blew in the wind, the man's serious expression never changing. Finally, he spoke with a dismissive wave of his hand, "No worries."

Ciel nodded quickly, and uttered an almost inaudible _excuse me_ as he walked past the older male and returned home.

The rest of the week was slow and methodical, as usual. Ciel woke up in an unusually good mood, possibly due to the fact it was Friday. He was exhausted and ready to enjoy his weekend, though it was short. The boy was sitting in his desk in his religion class, chin resting on his hand while his free hand fidgeted with his pencil, tapping it on the desk and flipping it this way and that.

It had been ten minutes already and the instructor hadn't shown up yet. If the teacher was absent, it would make for an extremely boring class period. Ciel wasn't one to socialize, so he would not be able to indulge in pointless conversation as the others did.

Before Ciel could consider himself doomed to an utterly wasteful class period, the school principal, Headmaster Lucille, strode in, clearing her throat. The students rose respectfully with a synchronized chorus of, "Good morning, Professor."

Headmaster Lucille waved her hand, signaling that it was okay for the students to take their seat. Behind the old woman, a familiar looking man walked in, wearing glasses and long, black robes. Ciel's eyes boggled as recognition struck him—the grocery store man!

He clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle a gasp. He knew he was probably being dramatic and it was a mere coincidence that Grocery Store Man had shown up in his class days later, but he got an eerie vibe from the man and it made him feel uneasy.

Upon seeing Ciel's shocked reaction, Sebastian smirked.

The principal cleared her throat again, a habit that annoyed the hell out of Ciel.

"Class," she began. "It is unfortunate to announce that your former Religion instructor is away on temporary leave for urgent reasons. In her place, we've found a suitable replacement. Please behave and be the perfect demonstration of what this school represents."

"Yes, Headmaster," the class said in unison, all except Ciel. He was still processing this _coincidence_.

"Very well," the principal said, then nodded towards Sebastian. "I shall take my leave and allow you to introduce yourself and such. The class syllabus has been placed on the teacher's desk for you to use for reference. Now, if you'll excuse me."

The class rose again as the principal exited the room, then sat back down, curious eyes on Sebastian as he stood in front of the room.

"You may address me as Professor Michaelis," Sebastian said, a hint of amusement in his voice that went unnoticed by the class. "Any questions?"

Ciel fought back the urge to ask him if becoming a Religions teacher was a spur of the moment thing. Instead, he seemed to find a speck on his desk increasingly interesting.

As the other students took turns asking Sebastian trivial questions, and between the giggle fits of the girls who found the man attractive, the class went by quickly. Ciel let out a sigh of relief as he walked out of the classroom door, pretending not to notice Professor Michaelis' eyes on him as he rushed past him. Luckily, this time he didn't run into him.

* * *

Sebastian switched on the light to his apartment, kicking off his shoes. He sighed, pulling off his robes and hanging them on the coat rack. A shadow moved somewhere in his living room, and Sebastian stiffened, baring his teeth as he scanned the room. He sensed someone's presence, someone—

"Welcome home." Sienna was perched on Sebastian's couch, legs outstretched as the rest of her body took on a suggestive pose. As Sebastian flicked on the lights, she hissed. "Oi, turn them off. It kills the mood."

Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sienna—how many times have I told you? I don't like it when you come into my home when I'm out."

Sienna sat up, her face taking on an exaggerated pout. Her hair formed a curtain over her bare breasts. "I couldn't help it. I've been watching you, and I must say you've got me feeling curious."

The male demon groaned internally, bracing himself for the questions he knew were to come. He took a seat beside Sienna, making sure to conserve the space between them.

"That boy," Sienna stated, as if that was all she had to say.

Sebastian almost grimaced. Yes, he knew who she was referring to. He could perfectly visualize the nameless stranger in his mind, his pale skin and his big sapphire eyes…

"Yes," Sebastian said finally.

"You're following him," Sienna pressed.

"Yes," the male admitted.

"Are you planning on taking his soul? 'Cause if not, you're walking a dangerous line," she warned.

"I will take it, eventually," Sebastian assured her, though the words were empty. He knew it was dangerous, considering the laws of the demon realm, but he would not take them into consideration just yet. Besides, he hadn't figured out exactly what he wanted from the boy.

"Hey." Sienna edged closer to Sebastian, trailing a finger up his arm playfully. "If you want to fall in love with someone, choose me. It's legal," she added, as if that was the perfect bonus. "You've been my companion for centuries, and now I can hardly get you to even notice me."

Sebastian's eyebrow twitched. "Goodnight, Sienna." With that, he left the grumbling demon in his living room as he retreated for the night.

Around midnight, Sebastian grew bored of sitting in his room performing the act of doing nothing quite literally. Demons didn't sleep frequently, so many found hobbies to pass the time. The majority of said hobbies included ravaging countless humans for their souls, an activity that Sebastian didn't partake in. It was a bore; after doing it for thousands of years, it had lost all its glory. Sebastian was a powerful demon and it was unlikely that he would go hungry, so it was unnecessary for him to go on any feeding frenzies.

Despite Sienna's warning, Sebastian tread down the road that he'd already memorized. Finding the light in the young boy's room turned on, Sebastian perched himself atop the roof of the house next to the boy's, peering at him from a distance.

Watching prey was natural among demons, and as such, Sebastian didn't feel as though his actions were out of the norm. There was a certain enjoyment he got out of watching the boy go through the daily motions of human routine. Most demons didn't care for the way that humans lived, but Sebastian always felt fascinated when he paid close attention to them. This human, in particular, was amusing. He was fragile, clumsy, and always looked flustered. He spent each day in the exact same way, living an innocent and studious life. Demons usually fed off of angry, twisted souls, something that the boy did not contain. Sebastian was drawn to the boy by a force other than hunger, though he could not quite put his finger on it.

He'd grown bored of watching inconspicuously, and it was because of this that the demon had taken up a position to be inside the boy's social circles. Perhaps interacting with him would help him figure out what he was to do with his new _student_.

Sebastian watched as the boy buttoned himself into his pajamas and turned the lights off, tucking himself into bed, not before, of course, saying a prayer. The demon smirked, revealing sharp fangs. His eyes glowed eerily.

"I am already in hell," he mused. "What have I got to lose?"


End file.
